Troubles on the Trail
by ApplesEvilPie
Summary: Modern AU. Mushing was Hadley Haddock's life. It was in his blood and he knew it from the moment he befriended that toothless Malamute. However, the Young Musher doesn't see the unfortunate trouble before it's too late. Based off recent events in the Iditarod 44. Dedicated to Jeff King and his team. Rest in Peace Nash. Musher!Hiccup. Edited: 3.25.16
**Author's Note: Hello. I shouldn't even be focusing on another fic but here it is because I just need to write...** **I have been wanting to write a Musher!AU for HTTYD for quite sometime. Maybe for a year? It wasn't until recent events that I actually wrote this. I'll either continue off this one or make another one and keep this as a one-shot.**

 **Total Words: 2,699**

 **Total Words w/ Notes: 3,167**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless**

 **Musher and Modern AU.**

 **This is an updated version. I'm trying to get back in the groove of writing but as of now I think I'm failing. Am I right? Constructive criticism would be nice. Please? Keep in mind to be kind while writing a review. I'm already a negative person so your job is to just...help me out and hopefully enjoy or have the feels? I don't know.**

* * *

It was a beautiful night on the snow trail south of Berk, Archipelago.

The air was crisp and the ground was covered with freshly fallen snow that sparkled in the light of his headlamp. To Hadely Haddock it was the perfect night to hook up his team and go for a quick run before sunrise. Making his way to the kennel was easy enough but keeping the dogs quiet as he tried to sneak out wasn't as he hushed the dogs multiple times and tried to contain his excited laughter and keep the twenty some dogs at bay. Harnessing up the dogs he opened the kennel door and got into position, releasing the claw hook and uttering the words "Hike!"

He knew that his Father wouldn't be too pleased to find out about the midnight run but it didn't stop the eighteen year old from going against the man's rule and as soon as the dogs sped up and over the hill of the Haddock Kennel the stern man flew from his thoughts and his was solely focused on the moment.

He wanted the fresh air and he wanted to feel the adrenaline build up under his skin. Besides that excuse he had to go on this run for the sake of the dogs who needed to get back up into tip-top shape for the annual Archipelago Sled Dog Race. It had been rain and mud and humid air for weeks and he would not pass up the opportunity for a fresh run in the heaps of fresh snow. He knew that he could've continued using the mountain vehicle but the sled, he found, was much better.

Two more months and he'd be out and about with not a care in the world except for crossing that finish line with his team. He loved to run alongside them as they passed under the wooden arch.

Who didn't?

And _this_ year? He _would_ win this years race. Of that he knew it. Scott Jorgenson had won the 2015 race, to Hadley's surprise, and he was absolutely SICK of having that gold-trimmed medal shoved in his face (like the pie Astrid had tossed onto his face last year when he hesitated to take a bite) every hour of every day for the past eleven months.

It was as if the older cousin was right next to him spewing words of mockery at his beloved team. _Useless_. He was far from useless and his team wasn't even close to being useless! He bit his cheeks and the coppery taste of blood tainted his taste-buds. Shaking his head, he licked his chapped lips and focused on the landscape as he brought up the scarf.

He couldn't pack down the negative thoughts and anger; It wasn't good for him or the dogs.

He needed to let his mind free. He couldn't think of his pig-headed cousin nor let those words get to him and so he didn't.

Soon he calmed down and began to enjoy the wind brushing up against him.

Win or loose he just looked forward to crossing the finish line and spending nights out on the trail.

Emancipating the thoughts from his mind he turned his attention to the dogs and the staccato panting of all twenty of them. He smiled when he saw Toothless looking back at the team for a few mere seconds while letting out a determined bark as Hiccup ushered them on faster.

The dogs were all amazing, especially the two-year old female who had just been brought into the team.

Astrid had named her Lucy, and it seemed to fit the majestic gold-like Siberian Husky.

"Good girl, Lucy!"

Happiness danced around in his heart and he shouted a cheerful "Atta' go! Wwooohooo!"

This was life.

This was in his blood and he never wanted to leave the sled but unfortunatly at the peak of his adrenaline the digital watch strapped to his wrist began to click at him with an annoyingly high pitch. He grumbled and pulled up his coat sleeve to be nearly blinded with the flashing neon yellow of the time, mocking him as it flashed on and off the screen.

 _2:34 AM_

"How!?" he mumbled to himself in dismay.

It had been two hours yet it only felt like five minutes to Hiccup and even the dogs.

He had no choice but to turn around. His insomnia seemed to be fading as exhaustion took hold of him from the rush of fun. He didn't want to push the animals too hard, either. It was for the better and his Father would be up and about in a few minutes. He needed to get in bed beforehand.

Unfortunately for him, exhaustion wasn't the main concern and not even his father's stern talk about the rules of being out late on that beautiful night. The yipping of the dogs had brought him out of his thoughts as he turned and finally noticed the florescent lights of a snowmobile skimming the edges of Dragon Lake. He shrugged this off and turned his attention back to the sled.

Apparently he wasn't the only one enjoying the night of snow. Who wouldn't want some late-night fun after weeks of devastatingly horrid weather?

Even if it was late at night and pitch black (aside from the amazing crescent moon) he did not think nor care to worry about being hit and the usual hooligans that tried to get the dogs in a twist were probably out drunk at the bar as there were no teams out this late. He was equipped with reflective harnesses, neon booties and he himself had a bright yellow headlight. It was common accidents like this, when a musher did not remember lights, that accidents happened.

He did not fear the crazy bunches who would do this on purpose and the snow mobile seemed to be turning back.

"Good job, bud! Good job, you guys! We're almost home!"

Ten minutes had passed in utter silence aside from the thumping of paws and hearty panting. The young musher began to hum himself the lullaby his mother had sung to him years ago when he was just a tiny babe- well, tinier, when he felt a warmth trail up his spine. With a stiff neck, due to the wool scarf snugged around him, he turned to find the cause of this warmth but was instead blinded from the lights of the snow machine speeding up right behind him.

 _What in the name of Odin? Hello! Does he not see us?_

He yelped in terror when the machine took a sharp curve to the right and revved the engine. His heart shattered and he felt like he was going to drop dead when he saw the machine swerve towards him.

No words left Hiccup's mouth but his mind was running with them for his team to just _hurry! hurry! hurry! turn! turn left! Left! Haw! Haw!_

Peddling off instinct in hopes of helping the team, he felt his knuckles near-white from his grip on the sled handle and his heart felt like it was trying to escape his chest.

The engine of the mobile seemed far too loud and far too close for comfort and he took out his hatchet to scare the predator off "Bastard! Turn away! You'll-" he was interrupted when a loud thunk echoed and the sled tipped over like a feather in the wind.

He fell flat on his face into a cold pile of snow.

Still.

He lie there dazed as stars sprinkled in his vision. He felt dead. Shivering, Hiccup let himself groan in pain as he tried to work his arms and entire being to just sit up. He felt heavy and his movements were that of a toddlers but he managed to get up to his knees. His vision was fading in and out like a television screen as he observed his surroundings.

A thunderous roar of the snowmobile's engine and terrifying laughter met his ears and he felt goosebumps travel down his arms and legs. The driver was in high spirits, mocking him.

He found the lights fading off in the distance and back towards Dragon Lake. The veins in his neck seemed to pop out in anger as he got up on tingling legs when he heard his team wailing.

He stood there dumbfounded until the reek of blood entered his nostrils and his emerald eyes widened in panic. He began to run, or rather limp, to his team of twenty and was greeted with all of them whimpering and wailing like a newborn. Four of them had broken free of their lines and greeted him with kisses but he did not need to worry about them as he could practically walk all the dogs without a leash and no troubles. No, what worried him were the four dogs near the front, blood pouring from wounds and one of them struggling to just get up on his paws.

Without another thought he began to scrummage through the sled bag for the med-kit and pulled it out with shaking hands. Kneeling down beside the injured pups, he hushed their agonizing whimpers and carried them to the dog bag after treating them one-by-one as best as he could in that heart-shattering moment. It had taken him what felt like hours but in reality was mere minutes before he returned to grab his lead dog.

It didn't hit him until he knelt to grab the Alaskan Malamute that it was indeed Toothless.

Toothless. The dog had been up minutes ago. Wasn't he?

Toothless...the snow mobile...the impact...he was leading the team this time.

Hiccup dropped in slow-motion next to the limp corpse of the Malamute.

His world slowed down and his hands hovered, hesitant and shaking like a crumpled leaf, over the dog's crushed corpse.

No.

How did he not notice!? He didn't...was he alive the entire time he patched up the others? Had he been that careless about his best friend? Not even a beginner would be as stupid as him in this moment. It was his fault! What if...what if he had died terrified and in total agony with no one to comfort him but the harsh winds?

He croaked, tears beginning to pool up around the edges of his emerald eyes. "Bud? Buddy...?"

He felt a dog nip at his coat sleeve and in his vision corner he saw the golden fur of Lucy, her harness tattered as well. Her bushy tail wagged in distress and another one of the dogs seemed to howl at the smell of blood, the others joining him at the lose of their leader. Their brother.

He picked up the crushed dog and his sobs let lose, growing louder and louder as the minutes passed and he became soaked in the warm blood of his best friend. The snow seemed to steam like boiling water as blood dripped from the various wounds.

Hiccup cursed the Gods and screamed for help, his voice crackling like a roaring fire that went hoarse in an instant. He pulled out a shard on the dog's side and tossed it as he examined the still-creature and begged for him to just live. For his heart to start beating and to whimper and beg for a special treat.

But no pulse. No eyes that opened with glee at the sight of his musher. No wagging tail. Nothing. There was nothing.

 _"TOOTHLESS!"_

* * *

 _'Toothless...oh bud...I'm so sorry I failed you.'_

Hiccup's head had been resting on Astrid's lap that afternoon at the main hospital stationed in Berk. He hadn't noticed at the time of the incident but he has bruised his rib and had a minor concussion and strained wrist. His adrenaline had kept his three dogs alive but one was gone. Gone forever.

He just wanted to lie down and die.

His Father had came to visit (surprisingly he did not scold the grieving man) with the news that three of the dogs (Butch, Avalanche, and Fairy) were in the care of Fisher Legman, his childhood friend and a brilliant Veterinarian Doctor; One had to get his tail amputated and the other two suffered from broken ribs and legs. He went on to tell him that Fairy might have to retire if the operation goes wrong, as the cast would not fit on the poor dogs hind legs.

His team was broken. Or, at least he felt it was. Broken like Toothless' entire body.

All he hoped for now is that his team wouldn't recall the events, that his three dogs would recover and continue their career, and that Avalanche wouldn't suffer at the loss of his liter-mate.

That the snow mobile driver was caught and suffered for what he did.

His girlfriend's slim fingers caressed at his long locks of hair and she slowly but surely began to hum to him as if he were a distressed child that woke up from a hanish nightmare.

To him, that was what this was. A nightmare.

He felt a strand of hair begin pulled back and twisted into a braid, a little habit of hers, and her thin lips pressed against his forehead as she got up to go get a cup of coffee.

He was alone.

Toothless entered his thoughts. Or maybe they were always there...he didn't know. Toothless. He remembered working at the kennel during the summer and meeting the dark-furred Alaskan Malamute with doe-eyes and missing teeth. It was there the two bonded and it was there that Toothless began to show Hiccup's hidden potential of being the best Musher and Dog Trainer, not just a janitor.

Hiccup's best friend had been whisked away with death from the impact all because he wanted to mush that night.

* * *

The television hurt his ears.

Drago. That hideous man sneered in his mugshot as it flashed on the news, mocking him once more.

Drago had killed his precious friend. The man was a notorious leader of a Dog Fighting Rink found outside of the Archipelago but that did not stop him from ruining the fun of dog-lovers. Apparently he had been found outside of an abandoned cabin miles from the incident sight, cleaning the blood off the snow machine and licking the dirtied cloth. He didn't even resist his arrest but instead seemed to give himself up.

He couldn't even look at the screen so he listened to the silent report.

The reporter seemed fake. Her empathy reeked of nothing but fake like her plastic lips that were too big for her face, Astrid had even snorted when the camera turned to her and although it was a serious matter, Hiccup smirked as he lie back with tightly closed eyes. Her co-worker, on the other hand, seemed to actually care and had to leave the scene as tears flooded down his cheeks.

He couldn't stand it. He wasn't too sure what he wanted; Sympathy or...none at all?

He requested, or rather demanded, that the television be shut off before the commercials returned to the forecast for the week.

He did not want to hear it.

* * *

Hiccup would win that race. He would.

For Toothless. For his team and for his family and friends.

But mainly for that toothless Malamute he called his best friend.

He wouldn't let Drago's rage get to him any longer and stop him from his career as a musher.

He would cross the finish line in first place. It was all for Toothless. And although the dog wouldn't be there to pull the team across the Barbaric land he knew the animal would be there in his heart and soul.

He knew he would be running alongside the team the entire way encouraging his team like before.

Of that, Hiccup knew for sure.

* * *

 **I'm a huge sled dog fan. I have been for about three or four years as of now but did not get into it until this 2016's Iditarod Race. Unfortunately, the race did not go as smooth as it should've gone.** **I woke up after a rather fun night at my cousin's house as we babysat our little-r cousin. As I was browsing Facebook whilst waiting for Netflix to load up a movie for all three of us I scrolled upon grim news;**

 **"Early this morning, as Aliy Zirkle (bib #13) was making her way towards the Nulato checkpoint, a snowachiner repeatedly attempted to harm her and her team. One dog received a non-life threatening injury. Upon arrival at the Nulato checkpoint, Zirkle reported the incident to race officials and a report was filed with the Alaska State Troopers..."**

 **and it went on to even more sad news.**

 **"Jeff King (Bib #61), who was behind Zirkle, experienced a similiar incident 12-miles prior to his arrival at the Nulato checkpoint. This incident resulted in the death of Nash, a three-year old male. In addition, Crosby, a three year-old male, and Banjo, a two-year old male, recieved non-life threatning injuries. King requested and received medical attention at the checkpoint. "**

 **The man was found and was charged. He was drunk and did not seem to remember anything but knew it was him when he saw the damage of the snow machine.**

 **Rest in Peace Nash, if you're interested in keeping up with the dogs recovery you can follow Husky Homestead. I'm not too sure what Zirkle's team is but I believe they're all doing fine. I watched King cross the finish-line live and I had goosebumps as his teary words.**


End file.
